My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin

Jon Ingold, British game designer and co-founder of Inkle known for narrative games and the Ink scripting language. He discusses TR-49’s archival deduction and live audio overlay. He talks about designing reactive archives, keeping narrative coherent amid player freedom, and the influences from parser fiction, theatre, and classic mystery storytelling.

Phil Fish, indie game designer behind Fez and star of Indie Game: the Movie, reflects on his Montreal roots and creative journey. He discusses Fez’s long development, why Fez 2 was cancelled, retreating from social media, burnout after sudden fame, and the pleasures of quiet, secretive creativity. Short, candid, and nostalgic.

In this engaging conversation, Emmy-nominated writer and comedian Heather Anne Campbell shares her journey from studying improv in Chicago to writing for shows like Rick & Morty. She recalls her love for Tetris as a timeless game that captures her childhood memories. Heather talks about the vibrant arcade culture, her path into games journalism, and the unique storytelling of The Last of Us. Plus, she defends the cultural impact of Fortnite and praises the psychological depth of Disco Elysium, all while emphasizing the importance of improv in her career.

Please enjoy this collection of some of our favourite clips from My Perfect Console episodes released in 2025. Featuring: Tonda Ros, Kat Abugazaleh, Nathan Brown, Adanna Nedd, Joel Morris, Basia Bulat, Andy Davidson, Bennett Foddy, Rami Ismail, Brian Gibson, Greg Jenner, Chris Plante, Tomm Hulett, Harvey Smith, Mark Cerny, Dr. Greg Zeschuk, Lorien Testard, and Alexander O. Smith.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Please enjoy this collection of some of our favourite clips from My Perfect Console episodes released in 2025. Featuring: Tonda Ros, Kat Abugazaleh, Nathan Brown, Adanna Nedd, Joel Morris, Basia Bulat, Andy Davidson, Bennett Foddy, Rami Ismail, Brian Gibson, Greg Jenner, Chris Plante, Tomm Hulett, Harvey Smith, Mark Cerny, Dr. Greg Zeschuk, Lorien Testard, and Alexander O. Smith.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charlie B. Rosen, the talented bandleader and founder of the 8-Bit Big Band, shares his experiences touring Japan and performing Persona 5 big band shows. He reflects on memorable gigs in Los Angeles and New York, revealing the excitement of playing at the Wiltern. Celebrated as the winner of the My Perfect Console of the Year award, Charlie discusses his favorite console choices. He also highlights recent games he's been enjoying, including Satisfactory and The Altars, and gives a sneak peek into upcoming shows and Grammy nominations.

The year is winding down, inboxes are quietening (lol), time is about to lose all meaning, and the year’s great cultural arguments are finally ready to be settled. Perfect timing, then, for My Perfect Console: Game of the Year 2025.In this special episode, host Simon Parkin is joined by comedian Glenn Moore to build two consoles that capture what this year felt like to play. Expect games obsessed with truth and lies, long walks through beautiful ruin, and at least one adventure that asks what honour even means when the world itself seems intent on grinding you down. Somewhere in the mix: an audacious reinvention of a familiar legend, a sequel that arrived carrying enormous expectations, and a descent into a world that feels both brutally familiar and eerily transformed.As ever, the joy isn’t just in the picks, but in the why. What does it take to make a game great in 2025? Is ambition enough? Does finesse matter more than surprise? And how much should we forgive a game that utterly consumes our lives, even when it makes us a bit miserable?Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Harvey Smith, a celebrated game designer and writer known for his work on immersive titles like Deus Ex and Dishonored, shares his career journey and creative insights. He discusses the emotional aftermath of Arcane's closure and the complexities of game launches that often invite strong public reactions. Harvey reveals how his Texas upbringing shaped his creative aspirations, recounts his transition from the Air Force to game testing, and celebrates influential games such as Ultima Underworld and Elden Ring for their groundbreaking designs.

Alex Seropian, a pioneer in video game development and co-founder of Bungie, shares his incredible journey from studying math at the University of Chicago to creating the iconic Halo. He recounts the nail-biting Macworld demo crisis that almost derailed the game’s reveal and discusses the pressures during E3 leading to Halo's launch. Beyond Halo, he delves into his admiration for Tetris, the impact of Ico, and his innovations in community-driven game design with Fortnite, concluding with thoughts on the future of gaming and creativity.

Mark Cerny is an American programmer, and game designer whose career has shaped not only how we play, but the systems we play on. A San Francisco native, he dropped out of UC Berkeley at 17 after receiving an invitation to join Atari. At 18 he designed the arcade hit Marble Madness. He then moved to Japan to work with Sega, for whom he founded the Sega Technical Institute, developers of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Then played a key role in landmark titles such as Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, and Resistance. He’s perhaps best known, however, as the lead system architect of the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, helping to define the technical and creative possibilities of an entire generation of video games.Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.